Occupational Health and Safety Awareness for Students

Occupational Health, Safety and Wellness

2015

Introduction and Objectives

• The objectives of this course are to:

• Explain your rights and responsibilities

• Explain the employer, supervisor and worker responsibilities

• Discuss workplace hazards

• Provide information on how to report an incident

Occupational Health and Safety Act

• Establishes safety standards for all Ontario workplaces

• It sets out the rights and duties of workplace parties

• It establishes procedures for dealing with workplace hazards

• It provides information on how the law will be enforced

• Changes made to the Occupational Health and Safety Act in 2014

now require employers to provide Health & Safety Awareness

training so you can better understand the law and how to stay safe

in the workplace.

The Occupational Health and Safety Act

• The purpose of the OHS Act and Regulations is to keep workers

from getting sick or hurt on the job

• Ministry of Labour inspectors make sure that these laws are

followed and if they aren’t they may leave orders or lay charges

• OHS Act assigns responsibility to three levels of authority in a

workplace:

1. The employer (who is in charge of everyone)

2. The supervisor

3. The worker (you)

Who is a Worker?

The definition of a worker, under the law, has been expanded. It now includes:

• A person who performs work or supplies services for monetary compensation

• High school students volunteering as part of a work experience program

• Persons performing work or supplying services without compensation as part of an approved post-secondary program

• Persons receiving training but are not considered employees under the Employment Standards Act

Everyone has a role in safety, including you

• Underlying principle of the OHS Act

is the Internal Responsibility System

(IRS) – “Health and Safety is

EVERYONE’S Responsibility”

• Under the IRS, everyone has a

personal and shared responsibility

to work together cooperatively to

prevent workplace injuries and

illness.

Duties of the Employer (condensed)

• Ensure workers know about

hazards in the workplace and

are trained to work safely

with these hazards

• Ensure supervisors are

competent when it comes to

health and safety on the job

• Create health and safety

policies and procedures for

the workplace

• Ensure everyone knows and

follows the health and safety

procedures

• Ensure workers are provided the

right protective equipment and it is

maintained and used properly

• Do everything reasonable to keep

workers from getting hurt or sick

on the job

Duties of the Supervisor (condensed)

• Inform workers about possible or actual hazards and dangers in

the workplace and train them how to work safely

• Provide written instruction on the measures and procedures

designed for the protection of the worker

• Ensure workers follow the law and the workplace health and

safety policies and procedures

• Ensure workers wear and use the right protective equipment

• Do everything reasonable to keep workers from getting hurt or

sick on the job

Duties of the Worker

• Follow the law and the workplace health and safety policies and

procedures

• Always wear or use the protective equipment that the employer

requires in the way you were trained

• Do not operate any equipment, device or machinery in a manner

that could endanger you or another worker. Do not attempt to

operate any equipment or machinery unless you have received

proper training.

• Work and act in a way that won’t hurt you or any other worker

• Report any hazard or defect in equipment to your supervisor

Rights of Workers

• You have three basic rights:

1. To know about the hazards in the work you do and to be

instructed how to do your work safely.

2. To participate in health and safety by asking questions and

reporting your concerns.

3. To refuse to do unsafe work if you have reason to believe it

puts you or a fellow worker in danger.

• NOTE: In health care, this right is limited – if the hazard is a normal

part of your duties or the refusal would directly endanger the life,

health, or safety of another person, you cannot refuse to work.

Right to Refuse Unsafe Work

• You can refuse to work if you have reason to believe that:

o The work you are doing or the equipment you are using might hurt you or someone you work with

o The area where you are working is likely to endanger you or any other worker

o You are in danger from workplace violence

• You need to tell your supervisor that you think you are in danger and that you are not going to do the work

• Most of the time, your supervisor and the employer and the JHSC member will be able to solve the problem

• If the problem isn’t fixed or you still have reason to believe the work is unsafe, you can continue to refuse the work

• A MOL inspector will then be called to investigate

Workplace Hazards

• A hazard is anything or situation in the workplace that could hurt you or the people you work with. It can take many forms – sometimes more than one hazard can combine to make an even bigger hazard.

• Studies show that new and young workers are 4 times more likely to get injured during their first month on the job than at any other time

• Some hazards are visible (e.g. sharps or a spill) and other hazards may be invisible (e.g. germs or viruses, chemical vapour, noise).

• You need to know about the hazards in your workplace before you start working.

Some common hazards in the workplace

Biological (e.g. bacteria, viruses, mould)

Chemical (e.g. environmental cleaners, lab

chemicals)

Physical (e.g. heat, cold, radiation, noise)

Ergonomic (e.g. lifting, transferring and

repositioning patients, workstation setup)

Psychosocial (e.g. workplace

violence/harassment, shift work, stress)

Safety (e.g. slippery floors, heavy objects, sharp

objects)

Hazard Controls

When controlling hazards, the following hierarchy of controls are used:

1. Elimination (e.g. removing a tripping hazard)

2. Substitution of hazard (e.g. using a cleaning product that is less

corrosive)

3. Engineering control (e.g. laboratory fume hoods, safety engineered

medical sharps)

4. Administrative control (e.g. training and education, signage, policies)

5. Personal Protective Equipment (e.g. gloves, N95 respirator, surgical

mask, goggles)

MOST

Effective

LEAST

Effective

A combination of controls are often used for controlling hazards

Important Questions

• 5 important questions you need to know answers to

about your placement or time here at NYGH

1. What are the hazards of this job?

2. Is there any special training needed for this job?

3. Do I have the right protective equipment for this job?

4. Do I know how to do this job safely?

5. If I have any questions about safety, who do I ask?

Hazard and Employee Incident Reporting

•If you have any concerns regarding health and safety in the

workplace, you must report your concerns first to your supervisor

so they can take steps to prevent the incident from happening

again in the future. They are responsible for ensuring prompt

medical attention is provided.

•It is against the law for a supervisor to punish or retaliate against a

worker for reporting a hazard or following the law

•Injuries, incidents and close calls must also be reported using the

Safety Learning Incident Process (SLIP) tool.

Employee Incident Reporting

• Report hazards, incidents, injuries or occupationally

acquired illnesses using the SLIP tool

• Occupational Health, Safety and Wellness department will

review these incidents for investigation, analysis and

trending

• All students and residents should inform the Manager,

Centre for Education if an incident occurs. Additionally

medical students must inform their Academic Director.

Other students must inform their placement coordinator at

their academic institution.

• Go to ERIC (intranet)

Quick Links SLIP report

• Enter the site anonymously

(Login using your Windows

ID and password)

• Select the

Employee/Affiliate icon

Hazard and Employee Incident Reporting

Seeking Medical Attention

• Occupational Health, Safety and Wellness

o Located on the Ground Floor (GW-51)

o Open Mondays 7:00am – 4:00pm;

Tues – Fri 7:30am – 4:00pm

• Emergency Department

o Open 24/7

Critical Injury

• If a person is killed or a critical injury occurs, your supervisor

must contact Occupational Health immediately and secure the

scene of the incident.

• The Ministry of Labour, the JHSC, and the union must be

notified immediately, and within 48 hours a written report must

be sent to the Ministry.

Critical injuries are injuries that place a life in jeopardy, produce unconsciousness, result in substantial blood loss, involve the fracture of a

leg or arm, the amputation of a leg, arm hand or foot, consist of burns to a major portion of the body or cause the loss of sight in an eye.

• WHMIS provides information and training about

chemicals or hazardous materials in the workplace

• Specifically it provides warning labels, information

sheets (MSDS) and instruction on how to use, store

and dispose of hazardous materials safely/

• Complete the WHMIS online training as part of your

mandatory training requirements

• NYGHs has an online MSDS database.

Go to ERIC under the etools Material Safety Data

Sheet Management system search for MSDSs by

site and department or do a basic search if you

know the name of the product.

Joint Health and Safety Committee

• JHSC’s plays an important role in helping to keep workplaces

safe by:

• Regularly inspecting the workplace

• Making recommendations to the employer to improve health and

safety

• Because there is a worker and management member on the

committee everyone has a role in identifying and solving

health and safety issues

Internal Resources

• Centre for Education (416-756-6929 or cfe@nygh.on.ca)

• Occupational Health, Safety and Wellness (416-756-6070 or

occhealth@nygh.on.ca)

Note: Occupational Health and Safety Policies can be found on the intranet

under Policies and Procedures

• Protection Services (for General, 4000 Leslie, SHC, ext. 4444;

for Branson Site – ext. 2222)

External Resources

• Your school

• Emergency Medical Services - 911

• Ministry of Labour (1-877-202-0008 or www.labour.gov.on.ca)

• Health and Safety Ontario (www.healthandsafetyontario.ca)

• 4 different H&S associations that provide sector specific consulting,

training, products and services (e.g. Public Services Health and

Safety Association – serves health, education and municipal sectors)

• Workplace Safety Insurance Board (1-800-387-0750 or

www.wsib.on.ca)

• Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (1-800-668-

4284 or www.ccohs.ca)

What’s Next

• Now that you have completed this general awareness

program, you are ready to be given more specific

information and instruction by your supervisor. You

should hear about:

• Specific hazards/hazardous materials in your work area including

needle safety and preventing musculoskeletal disorders

• Procedure to follow when reporting health and safety concerns,

incidents or injuries

• What personal protective equipment you may required to wear

• Where the departmental safety procedures are located

• Where the eyewash station or eyewash bottle is located in the

event of a accidental exposure to the eye

Remember…

• When it comes to your health and safety, there is no such thing

as a silly question. That question could save your life – so ask it.

THANK YOU